“This place is awesome. Good for couples, friends, outings and family. They have a variety of accommodations. The hosts (Jack and Kathy) are on point, very kind, welcoming and will make your visit first class.” Khumo Motsumi

We are rather late with this news but it’s still worth sharing. Adventurer Zakie Odendaal, who started her solo SA coastline journey on the 20th September 2016, ended it with aplomb at Ponte do Ouro, Mozambique on the 10th June 2017. Her parents drove more then 1800km to congratulate her and to walk the last 6km with her. They shared a lovely brunch in Ponte do Ouro and that night their celebrations continued around a traditional South African braai. Congratulations Zakie on your incredible journey!

Zakie’s adventures continue, she has already completed day 2 of her 7 day journey across Swaziland with Keegan Longuiera They’re on a budget of R10-00 per day! We look forward to seeing their photographs and hearing their stories.

Port Elizabeth is one of the top six spectacular scuba dive sites in South Africa and Mozambique.

According to whom we ask?
According to Fiona McIntosh.
Who is she you might ask?
Fiona McIntosh is an Olympian, a hiker and an author, she contributes to the SA Country Life magazine, she is one of South Africa’s great adventurers and lovers of the great outdoors, having skied to the north and south pole, climbed the highest peaks, dived to the depths and kayaked raging rivers.

In the June 2017 issue of SA Contry Life magazine, in her article titled “What Lies Beneath’ she lists her top six spectacular scuba dives sites in South Africa and Mozambique.

ALGOA BAY HOPE SPOT:- Algoa Bay is one of the largest bays in South Africa. At the conjuncture of two oceanic systems; the Cape Agulhas and the upwelling current of the Benguela, Algoa Bay presents climate and oceanic conditions favourable for species from two different ecosystems. The islands located within this bay are the eastern most islands of South Africa, representing the last territory accessible by the large numbers of endemic species of the Benguela Upwelling system, one of the richest systems on earth.

This brave warrior woman, adventurer Zakie Odendaal, arrived on our driveway recently to put her feet up at Dempsey’s Guest House and to recharge her battery for the next leg of her solo walk along the SA Coastline. YES, she is walking the entire South African coastline on her own, along the beaches and as close to the coastline as possible. She started her journey at Alexander Bay in September 2016 and her goal is to reach Kosi Bay, northern most part of KwaZulu-Natal, by June 2017. She is already ahead of schedule! Travelling with a tent, some good walking sticks and a few supplies, her backpack is lead-like. She trudges 7kms per hour, averaging 50kms per day.

Zakie is a freelance photographer who has had this dream for many years to walk the SA coastline, a tough personal challenge, unaided and without sponsorships. Along this walk she has given deep thought to future walks and adventures, she is considering future sponsorships so that she can raise funds to assist projects to empower and improve the lives of poverty-stricken children.

We asked her what the highlights have been along this walk so far. “The kindness of people” she replied with a beaming smile “along with magnificent nature surrounding me at every step and turn.”

And your lowlights Zakie? Without hesitation she answered: “That would definitely be negative people!”

We wished her well and dropped her off at Bluewater Bay Beach. She was quick to start walking and we watched as she powered on into the pumping east wind. Within minutes she was a mere dot on the horizon, heading for Sunday’s River and later the dunefields of Alexandria, the largest dunefields in the southern hemisphere. Our wish for you Zakie as you close in on your challenge is firm sand for solid footing, mild beautiful weather and the continued kindness of people.

We have a dream…to be passengers in a helicopter flying over the SA Coastline. A couple of months would do it. Just saying, in case a mad helicopter pilot and a crazy photographer with generous sponsors… are listening:)

Turn to page 36 of the December 2016 issue of SA Country Life magazine to find Keri Harvey’s article on Port Elizabeth, the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World. She takes an exciting trip with skipper Lloyd Edwards, of Raggy Charters to St. Croix Island in Algoa Bay, to do some whale and dolphin-watching. Thank you to SA Country Life for highlighting our bay and all the natural treasures within it.

It is common for people to hold onto items of clothing of loved ones who have passed. In Port Elizabeth, art students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have taken this a step further by creating and erecting their own version of that special piece of clothing that will be a permanent reminder of our beloved Nelson Mandela. Their sculpture is called “The Madiba Shirt” and is comfortably perched in the Beyers Naudé Garden of Contemplation at the university. The sculpture is intended to be a constant and inspirational reminder of the values of NMMU and Madiba. The Madiba Shirt is the first phase of a public art project at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The metal frame of the Madiba Shirt has an intricate wirework that suspends individually made ceramic tiles. Letters on the the tiles spell words: ubuntu, unity, diversity, integrity, excellence. Shirt dimensions:- 3m height, 2.2m width and 1.4m depth.

The Madiba Shirt was a creation for Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. In 1994, the designer Desre Buirski gave a gift of a hand-printed batik shirt to Nelson Mandela’s body guard, with a note saying “Thank you for everything you have done and the sacrifices you have made for our beloved country”. Mr. Mandela wore the shirt the next day to the dress rehearsal for the opening of Parliament and was photographed on the front page of a local newspaper. Desre Buirski subsequently designed many printed, embroidered and over 150 hand-painted silk shirts for South Africa’s beloved Madiba, which he wore on the world stage, becoming a global style as well as political icon. The style of ‘The Madiba Shirt’ evolved as Mr. Mandela requested various shirts throughout his time as President.

Last week we attended Raggy Charters’ launch of Algoa Bay being the Bottlenose dolphin capital of the world. The venue was The Algoa Bay Yacht Club, always providing great views of the yacht basin and harbour, superb ambience and good food from The Chartroom Restaurant.Raggy Charters runs whale and dolphin-watching tours. Owner Lloyd Edwards, who is also Chairperson of the Baywatch Marine Conservation confirmed that our special Algoa Bay hosts the largest schools of Bottlenose dolphins in the world. For almost 20 years Lloyd has been monitoring the location of these dolphins along with the size of their pods. Since the Raggy tours started in 1997, dolphins have been sighted on 90% of their tours, they have been spotted on the past 28 cruises in a row. Marine biologists at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University have recently completed their study confirming that approximately 30 000 bottlenose dolphins use Algoa Bay. We look forward to the launch of a Dolphin Festival hopefully to coincide with Marine Month in October.

Dr. Lorien Pichegru, Algoa Bay Hope Spot chairperson and leading marine life researcher in SA said Algoa Bay is home to more than half of the world’s African penguin population. She said that sustainable econmic growth in Nelson Mandela Bay, could be promoted by blending blue economy and tourism through initiatives such as this one.

On the subject of the African penguin, SAMREC is Port Elizabeth’s marine bird rehabilitation and education centre situated in the Cape Recife Nature Reserve; their main aim is to rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured seabirds, particularly the critically endangered African Penguin.

It’s always good to see Port Elizabeth featuring in the SA Country Life Magazine. This time in the March issue, the Back to Earth Night Market is being advertised on the Country Markets page. The Back to Earth Night Market is held on the first Wednesday evening of each month at The Old Grey Club, Port Elizabeth. The Back to Earth Country Market is held at the Old Cash Store on the last Sunday of each month.

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Warm welcome. Clean and tidy area, also easy to find in PE. All you need in a small accommodating room. We enjoyed our stay and will definitely book in there again. Patrick & Lucia Rogers booked out of Dempseys on 15/04/2019. Place your Dempseys guest review here.